Last Man Standing: Columbus Day

A Columbus Day episode is a rarity on television... in fact, I can't think of ANY. Normally, I don't think I'd care about the holiday not getting much attention, but this year I think it needs some emphasis. Tonight, at the gym, the manager wasn't in, but I was told she'd be available on Monday. As that's a holiday, I double-checked that the woman would be in, and the employee said "oh, that's right, it's Columbia's Day on Monday." At first I thought I misheard, but the gentleman said it two more times, prompting my husband and I to laugh in horror as soon as we got to the parking lot! Similarly, last May I was teaching a fifth grade theatre class and used Columbus as an example, but was met with a lot of "deer-in-headlights" looks. I glanced at their teacher, who said the students know who he is, but when it didn't seem to click, I changed the example for the other classes. I still remember the song I learned in kindergarten about the explorer, but apparently he needs more acknowledgement! Granted, Last Man Standing might not have been the ideal vehicle for that, but I’m appreciative just the same.

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Last Man Standing "Rediscover America" (S04E03): Eve playing for the football team is now making the local newspaper. However, she’s not thrilled that she's always referred to as "the female kicker," though Vanessa and Kristin point out that she's opening doors for young girls. [does nobody remember that Rudy played football on The Cosby Show in the eighties? However, once Eve misses a field goal and costs her team the game, Kristin is upset at how the newspaper depicts Eve as female. [I hate Kristin.] Eve begins to feel the burden of being expected to represent all women, increasing the pressure on her during games.

Ed's girlfriend is bothered that Mike is the face of Outdoor Man in a regional magazine, which prompts Ed to cancel Mike's Columbus Day sale, despite the fact that he knows Mike's marketing mind has done wonders for them over the years. [pride can be a nuisance.] However, Mike goes ahead with making a Columbus Day vlog, only to make Ed the star, comparing the older man to Leif Ericson, who beat Columbus to "discovering America," but doesn't get the credit. [I thought that this might have been a little mushy for Mike’s character.]